October 28, 2010

Fall Favorite

Our family has a tradition of making Chocolate Popcorn Balls. They are a combination of freshly popped popcorn (over the stove, not in the microwave!) and ooey, gooey tootsie roll-like confection formed into a sticky crunchy chocolatey ball of deliciousness. Yum!

Here they are in all of their glory!

chocolate popcorn balls 004

To make these delightful treats you need the following:

1 cup light corn syrup

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup cocoa powder

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup popcorn kernels, popped (any unpopped kernels should be separated and discarded)

extra butter, for greasing your hands (Pam works too, but butter tastes so much better!)

waxed paper, or parchment paper

Divide the popcorn into a couple of large bowls, so that you have enough room for mixing. In a medium suacepan, combine corn syrup, sugar, cocoa and butter. Bring to a boil and cook until they reach soft ball stage. (Test by dropping a bit of the chocolate in a cold glass of water. If the texture is malleable, its ready to go.)

Drizzle over the popcorn and mix. You must move carefully and quickly as the chocolate dries quickly. Grease your hands and form popcorn into balls. Let cool on waxed paper.

 

Do you have a favorite fall tradition in your family?

October 5, 2010

September

It was a busy month. The first weekend I made a wedding cake. Let’s just say it’s not an easy task with a two month old. Thank goodness I have an awesome family that always jumps in to help out!

I love making wedding cakes. Its so fun to be a part of something so special. Sarah and Cuyler were a darling couple, and it was such a pleasure to work with them.

meadecake 004

I was also able to make a birthday cake for cute little Brighton! I love watching kids eat cake.  It’s so fun to watch them discover the deliciousness. It gets EVERYWHERE! For my next birthday, I am gonna eat cake like a kid again.

brightons party 007

brightons party 019

brightons party 090 

I also attempted my first gluten free cake. Lets just say it was a big FAIL. But I will not surrender to the rice flour, no way! Success will surely follow…

A Year Later…

I realized a couple weeks ago that it has been a year since I started this little blog. When I decided to start, I was looking for something to keep me busy. Good news, it worked! Granted, I didn’t follow my goals to the letter. I didn’t bake and blog about it every week. I probably did more baking than blogging. But, I never would have anticipated that I would have accomplished what I did. I have learned all sorts of techniques and have had a blast trying out new recipes. I have made goodies for all sorts of events, and have even been paid to do it. The best part, people actually like the stuff!

I hope I can keep this going. I have still have projects lined up (a cake in the oven as I type) and really love to do it. Besides, there is nothing like a house that smells like chocolate all the time!